THE FIRST REPORT 


OF THE 


EASTERN CAROLINA 
INDUSTRIAL TRAINING SCHOOL 


FOR BOYS 


ROCKY MOUNT, N. C. 


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_ JANUARY 1, 1927 


THE FIRST REPORT 


OF THE 


EASTERN CAROLINA 
INDUSTRIAL TRAINING SCHOOL 


FOR BOYS 


ROCKY MOUNT, N. C. 


_ JANUARY 1, 1927 


RALEIGH 
CAPITAL PRINTING COMPANY 
STATE PRINTERS » 
1927 


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; STAFF 
SAMUEL Bhs LABON ABD. 5.520 estan BA ae ok Re ee -Superinten 
Mrs, mud Sxerme 0 cee ity ae Sas de ane lee aie ae eee Ma 
GUY Wi ALESANDER 2c, ee ee ...Cottage Officer and Farm Superintende 
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LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 


Rocxy Mowtnt, N. C., January 1, 1927. 


To His Excellency, Aneus Witton McLuan, Governor, 
Raleigh, North Carolina. 


Dear Sir:—In compliance with the statute I herewith submit the 
first report of the Eastern Carolina Industrial Training School for 
Boys. | 

This report is irregular, as a biennial report at this time is not pos- 
sible. The school had been running less than six months at the end of 
the biennium, so for practical purposes the Superintendent has made 
this report up to January 1, 1927. 


Respectfully submitted, 
R. T. Fountarn, 
Chairman, Board of Trustees. 


Tue First Buriprine 


» THE FIRST REPORT 


OF THE 


EASTERN CAROLINA 
INDUSTRIAL TRAINING SCHOOL FOR BOYS 
ROCKY MOUNT, N. C. 


LOCATION 


The Eastern Carolina Industrial Training School for Boys is located 
on Highway 40, three and one-half miles north of Rocky Mount. The 
building site is just across the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, about one- 
fifth of a mile from the highway, but the State land extends to the high- 
way, with a road frontage the entire width of the farm. The State owns 
132.88 acres of land, 117.58 being a gift of the City of Rocky Mount 
and 15.3 having been purchased by the State. The site is well adapted 
to beautification and development, due to the elevation, the building 
itself being 60 feet higher than the river, three miles away. About three 
hundred yards from the building there is a clear, never-failing spring 
which will be used as the center of a park and the source of a swimming 
pool to be developed later. Only a short distance further there is a 
small stream which crosses our land and which will be used for. stock 
watering and lower down as sewage disposal. 


BUILDINGS 


There is one building which was erected as the initial building and 
which must serve for every purpose until other buildings are erected. 
In it are the following: First Floor—The reception room; the office; 
dining room, kitchen, and storage; play room, boys’ sitting room and 
school room (all one); clothes room, wash room, shower room, and 
toilets. Second Floor—Boys’ dormitory containing thirty beds, officer’s 
room, matron’s room, infirmary (two rooms). Until December 1, 1926, 
the infimary was occupied by the Superintendent and his family. 

The Superintendent’s cottage was erected at a cost to the State of 
$2,000. \ This was made possible because practically all the labor was 
done by the school officials and the boys. The cottage has been 
appraised as having a value of from $4,500 to $6,000. It is located 
across the road from the main building, on a two-acre tract purchased 
separately from the main farm. | 

For a barn we moved a pack house measuring 20 x 30 feet to a desired 
- location and built ten-foot sheds around it at no cost to the State except 
for material. | 

The shop was likewise an old building 14 x 20 feet which was moved 
and ten-foot sheds built around it. These sheds are used for storage of 


6 First Report oF THE 


farm machinery, an automobile, and the back part for a poultry house. 

We have also built a poultry house, a wood and coal shed, a brick 
pump house, and have recently moved two other old buildings to be used 
as a garage and a granary. All this labor was furnished on the place. 


STOCK 

We have two mules and one horse for farming purposes. 

We have three milk cows, two grade Jerseys and one registered Hol- 
stein. We also have a registered Holstein sire and two grade Jersey 
heifer calves. The two Holsteins are the basis of our herd which we 
hope to build up within a few years, gradually eliminating the grade 
stock. 

We have four hogs, which will be killed in the late winter. 

We have about one hundred laying hens, consisting of two flocks, leg- 
horns and barred rocks. We also have three red Bourbon turkeys. 


FARMING 


The farm is under the direction of Mr. Guy W. Alexander. Mr. 
Alexander was reared on the farm, is a practical man with farming 
stock and machinery, has had four years experience at the Jackson 
Training School, all of which render him a very efficient man in the 
work for which he is employed. 

The past year was only a beginning in farming. The farm was in 
poor condition, due to neglect and to tenant cultivation. With only a 
small number of boys and with only two horses, it was not possible to 
prepare the land or plant the crops that should have been planted. 
Nothing was planted that could not be used as food or feed. On account 
of the continuous and excessive working of our horses, we lost one in 
the hot July weather. This kept us from “laying by” our crop, for it 
was several weeks before arrangements could be made to get a team of 
mules. In spite of all these handicaps, our harvest was fairly good. We 
have enough corn, hay, and forage for our stock through the winter. We 
have Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, navy beans, peas, kraut, cucumber 
pickles, molasses, apples, all of our own production, which will last well 
into the year 1927. We also raise pienty of peanuts and popcorn for 
the boys. 

Practically all the farm is now plowed for spring planting, and much 
of it is in cover crops, rye, oats, crimson clover, and vetch. 


THE SCHOOL 


Our school teacher is Mr. J. Wayland Sledge. Mr. Sledge is a gradu- 
ate of Wake Forest College, and, although inexperienced in actual class- 
room work, is by inheritance and training well qualified for the work, — 
his father being a teacher for many years. 


EASTERN CaroLina [npustTRIaAL TrRatmntne ScHoon ror Bors 6 


Most of our boys are badly graded. All of them are retarded, some 
not being able to write a letter home. It has been necessary to do indi- 
vidual instruction to a large extent. The training needed most seemed 
to be English, both written and spoken; so the first months were given 
over almost entirely to the subject of English. All public school subjects 
are taught, but in different months. This intensive work is proving 
very satisfactory. School work begins at 8 o’clock in the morning and 
goes to 12 with half of the boys. The afternoon session runs from 1 to 
5 o’clock with the other half. We have school six days in the week. By 
using half of the boys on the outside it is possible to keep up the farm 
and housework along with the school work. 


PROJECT WORK 


The training that the boy gets in the every-day work is a very im- 
portant part of the boy’s education at the Eastern Carolina Training 
School. It is in a way the old apprenticeship idea at work. When any 
work is done, whether it be bedding potatoes, building a poultry house, 
laying concrete, caring for stock, the boy is trained to do it himself. 
Our aim is that a boy shall be able to do things as well as know things, 
when he leaves here. We also place in the boy’s hands books that will 
help him in the various projects undertaken, and in this way books 
become a useful thing to him instead of something imposed upon him as 
a part of school. Letter-writing instead of the usual “composition” is 
used as a practical application in English. Building, ditching, draining 
of land, plumbing, etc., helps make the arithmetic lesson practical. The 
cooking is all done by the boys, and in this work the boys are taught the 
use of the cook book. 

RECREATION 


Play is a big thing in a boy’s life. For indoor play we have two 
earom boards, checker boards, dominoes, erector, tinker toys, boxing 
gloves, punching bag, and various puzzles and card games. We also 
have a victrola and radio, which see little rest. 

For outdoor play we have baseball, basketball, football, marbles, horse- 
shoes, ete. Every once in a while we have a big bonfire in the athletic 
field at night, where we roast corn, potatoes, marshmallows, ete. Both 
of our cottage officers are good coaches in the outdoor games, so the boys 
are getting good training in these sports. 

If the boy’s conduct and work has been satisfactory for the week, he 
is permitted to go to town to the picture show on Saturday night. He 
is entirely on his own honor among the Saturday night crowds, and up 
to the present time no boy has betrayed the trust. | 


8 First REPORT OF THE 


DISCIPLINE 


Discipline, which at the beginning seemed to be one of the impocsinle 
things, has come to be a very simple part of the work. The boys them- 
selves, through the honor system, largely manage themselves. - The 
sleeping dormitory has never been locked, and the Yale lock which was 
placed on the pantry and the padlock on the refrigerator have not been 
used for many months. No lights are left burning at night, neither do 
we have a night watchman. Occasionally: we have a runaway, but we 
have never yet lost a boy. | 


PUNISHMENT 


We never whip. Our punishments consist of depriving boys of some- 
thing they like to do. Usually it is play or a meal or a picture show. 
In excessive cases it is a period of from twenty-four to forty-eight hours 
in the “jug” (solitary confinement) on water and crackers. In case of 
a runaway, the boy’s hair is clipped. 7 


RELIGIOUS WORK 


Sunday school is conducted at the building each Sunday morning at 
10 o’clock. At 11 o’clock the boys attend church in town. ‘This ar- 
rangement makes for better contacts with the. townspeople, and more 
people are becoming interested in the boys all the time. At the present 
time our family is so large that we cannot transport them, so the church 
people send cars out each Sunday for the boys and return them after 
church. After the dinner has been finished on Sunday and while sitting 
at the tables each boy is asked to tell in his own words what he heard at 
church. This helps to recall the sermon as different boys tell of differ- 
ent parts of the sermon. After dinner on Sunday we have quiet hour 
for writing and reading until 4 o’clock, when the boys take a stroll 
about the farm in whatever direction Shes wish to go. 

The spiritual part of the work has helped us very much in the job of 
handling the boys. This religious atmosphere has a fine toning influ- 
ence, and yet it does not make the boy any less a boy. Our boys are 
rapidly connecting themselves with the churches in the city with the 
view of taking their church letters with them when they return home. 
This is encouraged, but not urged. 


POPULATION 


On January 18, 1926, we took our first boy. Within a month we had 
received eight boys, one of whom was transferred to Caswell Training 
School. Our number remained at seven for two months, when one more 
was taken. We held this number until water was obtained, when we 
began receiving boys about as rapidly as we could handle them, consider- 


Eastern Carotina InpustriaL TRAINING SCHOOL FOR Boys 9 


ing our equipment. On December 31, 1926, we had 25 boys in the house 
with one more boy ordered in and many applications and inquiries on 
file. Within a short time our capacity of thirty boys will be reached. 


FINANCIAL 


We are rather proud of our financial showing in view of the fact that 
our expenses were unusually heavy in. preparing to open the school. The 
salary. of the Superintendent began after the first week in August. Al- 
though the school did not open, on account of the delay in getting water, 
the salaries of the matron and cottage officer began October 15th. These 
people reported for duty and were continuously occupied. No crops 
were harvested, so all food and feed had to be purchased. One item of 
maintenance of $951.50 was used in completing the water system. In 
spite of all these extraordinary expenses we were able to turn back to 
the State Treasurer at the end of the fiscal year $2,034.77. 


GIFTS 


Our gifts have been small, but have been useful and very much appre- 
ciated. We realize that we must prove ourselves before “men of means” 
will give us consideration. 

The list of gifts and donors follow: 


Crosley Radio, Victrola—Mrs. Frank Bulluck, Rocky Mount. 

Two old carriages (used for farm wagons)—Mr. J. C. Braswell. 

$38 for games—Rocky Mount Kiwanis Club. 

$2 for games—Boys’ Sunday School Class, Selma (N. C.) Cotton Mill. 
Carom Board—Mr. George F. Brietz, Selma. 

Collie dog—Mrs. T. A. Cooper, Rocky Mount. 

Piano—Rocky Mount Cotillion Club. 


Our Christmas gifts by the people of Rocky Mount and Whitakers are 
too numerous to mention. I think all the churches in Rocky Mount, 
as well as most of the service clubs, were represented in the programs and 
gifts. The Methodist Protestant Church of Whitakers, through its 
Christian Endeavor societies, sent many good things to eat. 


THE FUTURE 


We are asking the Legislature for a school building, two dormitories 
(capacity 30 each), a dairy barn, 92 acres of land and the necessary 
equipment to make the additional improvements usable. We are also 
asking for an appropriation for fencing, of which we are very much in 
need. | 

We hold an option on 92 acres of land, which we are asking for, at a 
price of $100 an acre. This land extends to within 250 feet of the main 
building and 100 feet of the Superintendent’s cottage. Colored people 


10 : First Report 


own the land adjacent to this tract. It is a fact that the school must at 
some future date purchase this tract of land. It can be bought much 
cheaper now than if it falls in the hands of speculators. We need the 
land along with the additional 60 boys. Our sewage disposal plant, 
according to the Engineering Department of the State Board of Health, 
must be located on it. It is a necessary extension of our program. 

As we see it, the future of the school depends on what the Legislature 
does. We have the natural site, we have passed the hardest part of the 
beginning, the spirit is fine here, so we are facing the future with confi- 
dence. 

FINALLY 


I cannot finish this report without stating that I have had the 
heartiest codperation from the board in all progressive plans. Especi- 
ally would I mention Mr. R. T. Fountain, chairman, and Mr. J. OC. 
Braswell, chairman building committee and treasurer, both of whom 
have been called on repeatedly in solving the emergency problems that 
continuously arise. They have never failed to give of their time when 
the needs of the school called for it. 


Respectfully submitted, 
SaMvUEL EK. Leonarp, 
Superintendent. 


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